The present invention relates in general to toilet paper or paper towel holders and more particularly to holders which provide quick and easy installation and removal of toilet paper or paper towel rolls. The present invention represents a roll holding apparatus and accompanying method for quickly inserting a roll of said material into a roll holder and thereafter, when the paper is expended, quickly removing the same roll from the roll holder. The apparatus represents an improvement over the prior art by allowing quick insertion or removal of a roll of material with one hand. Furthermore, the apparatus retrofits into and with existing roll dispensers or rollholders or may be used with a separate “U” shaped form.
Conventional roll dispensers or roll holders typically comprise a U-shaped bracket having a wall attaching portion(s), two projecting rollholder arms, and a removable roller with spring biased ends. With a conventional roll dispenser or roll holder, the removable roller is inserted into the cylindrical tube of the paper roll and the spring biased ends snap into depressions within the projecting rollholder arms. The aforesaid removable roller placement within said depressions is often time consuming, inconvenient, and tedious. Moreover, it usually requires the use of two hands, thereby prohibiting persons with only one usable hand from installing said roller.
Unlike the prior art, the present invention provides a quick, easy, and convenient apparatus and method to insert or remove a roll of material such as toilet tissue paper into and out of a rollholder, without the aforementioned inconveniences of the conventional roll dispenser or rollholder. The present invention further provides an apparatus and method for retrofitting the conventional roll dispenser or rollholder with one or more rollmounts which provide the aforementioned means for quick, easy, and convenient insertion or removal of a roll of material such as toilet tissue paper.
The apparatus comprises in its most basic form a pair of rollmounts each having a base, a living hinge, a return tensioner, and a roll engaging arm all molded and formed together. Each rollmount is capable of mounting upon and with a rollholder arm. In an alternate embodiment, the apparatus comprises, again in its most basic form, a base, a connector post mounted onto and extending from said base, a living hinge, a return tensioner, a roll engaging arm and a retrofit plug, again molded and formed together except for the retrofit plug. Again, each rollmount is capable of mounting upon and with a rollholder arm. A further alternative embodiment incorporates a sleeve, preferably formed from an elastomer material, having two oppositely facing pockets for mounting the present art upon the rollholder arm. A still further alternative embodiment incorporates the aforementioned rollmounts as part of a one piece “U” shaped form which attaches within the cavity created by the rollholder or apart from said rollholder, preferably with screws or adhesive. The apparatus in its preferred and alternative forms is presented and claimed alone and in conjunction with a rollholder arm.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and system for quickly inserting or removing and holding a roll of toilet paper or paper towels which allows a user to quickly install or remove a toilet paper roll with a single hand.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and system for quickly inserting or removing and holding a roll of toilet paper or paper towels which may be utilized with or retrofitted to an existing or pre-installed rollholder without removal of said rollholder.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and system for quickly inserting or removing and holding a roll of toilet paper or paper towels which is capable of installation with a minimum of tools.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and system for quickly inserting or removing and holding a roll of toilet paper or paper towels which is capable of inexpensive and high volume manufacture.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method for quickly inserting or removing and holding a roll of toilet paper or paper towels in conjunction with the apparatus of the present art which can be utilized by persons having use of only one hand.